Page:The Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets, Volume 2.djvu/309

Rh himself, he pitied, but condemned not, those that dissented from it. He abhorred the principles of persecuting men upon the account of their opinions in religion; and being strict in his own, he took it not upon him to censure those of another persuasion. His conversation was pleasant, witty, and learned, without the least tincture of affectation or pedantry; and his inimitable manner of diverting and enlivening the company made it impossible for any one to be out of humour when he was in it. Envy and detraction seemed to be entirely foreign to his constitution; and whatever provocations he met with at any time, he passed them over without the least thought of resentment or revenge. As Homer had a Zoilus, so Mr. Rowe had sometimes his: for there were not wanting malevolent people, and pretenders to poetry too, that would now-and-then bark at his best performances; but he was conscious of his own genius, and had so much good nature as to forgive them; nor could he ever be attempted to return them an answer. Rh